Rural Route No.9 & Beyond...

We are very pleased to announce the next installment in the Rural Routes series by the artist, Keepsakes. Rural Route No.9 contains five pieces written and performed by Arizona based musician & photographer, K. Eric Kassner. Here, he employs piano, vibraphone, marimba, Alesis Quadraverb, Boss DF-2, turntable, field recordings, and music box to create melancholic ambient soundscapes. As described by Eric, "These pieces are born of a tragically broken family and home, which served as the setting for these recordings. Drug addiction, reckless and irresponsible decisions, and tragic indifference intertwine to render the disintegration of a family. At the heart of all this destruction lies the uncertain future of an innocent and dearly loved child."

Limited to 150 copies. Purchase here.
Website.

This release will also be the final installment of the Rural Routes series (no double digits in the countryside!) and the last title to be published under the Standard Form name. As the success of both our print shop and this series in particular continue to grow we have decided to separate our commercial print operation from our publishing activities to better represent them both. Standard Form will proceed as it always has as a print shop interested in working with the arts and music communities both locally and internationally. Our interest in experimental music will continue on under a new imprint called Komino Records. Expect conceptually driven series similar to the Rural Routes series as well as full length releases in variety of formats including vinyl! We already have a whole batch of releases planned for the year's end and 2012. Please check out the site for updates as things come together.

Rural Route No.8 by Bible, Burke & Henry out now!

We are pleased to announce the eighth installment in the Rural Route series by the trio comprised of Jeremy Bible, Dan Burke and Jason Henry. Many listeners will be familiar with the names appearing on this release. Jeremy Bible is the owner of the excellent Experimedia label and distribution. He has released numerous albums with frequent cohort, Jason Henry. Dan Burke is a true veteran of the experimental world. Better known under the alias Illusion Of Safety, Burke has been releasing albums since the early 80's, many of which feature an eclectic cast of collaborators.

This recording was edited from a improvisational performance that took place in Kingsport, TN on August 14th, 2008. It marked the first meeting between the three artists. The performance utilized live mixing and processing of field recordings, instrumentation, and piezoelectric devices. The resulting recordings were then passed between the three artists and edited in several iterations until arriving in its final incarnation.

Limited to 150 physical copies (with free download).
Available here.

Japan Relief

Standard Form would like to extend our thoughts and condolences to all of those affected by the terrible disaster caused by the massive earthquake that hit off the coast of Japan on March 11th. In an effort to help, we will donate 100% of sales between now and April 15th, 2011 to the Canadian Red Cross' “Japan Earthquake/Asia-Pacific Tsunami” relief fund. We also encourage people to seek out ways to directly donate to the cause.

Out now: Rural Route No.7 by Nick Kuepfer

Nick Kuepfer is a guitar player who weaves nylon string and electric guitar pieces with live sampled tape loops and drones. His sources range from static repetition and subtlety to frantic and abrasive; always with a tendency for experimentation. He was born and raised in Stratford, Ontario and is now living in Montreal, Quebec since 2003. He has performed solo for a short time and occasionally plays with guests Eric Craven (hanged up), Kristina Koropecki (Mark Berube), John Corban (SMCQ) and Nick Scribner (Clues). His current activity was preceded by playing in the bands Lungbutter, Aidswolf, L’embuscade etc and presently plays with Hrsta and No Nature. In November of 2010 he released a full-length solo record as part of the first edition of Montreal record label Constellation Records' Musique Fragile series.

We are pleased to welcome him to the fold with the 7th installment of the Rural Route series. These six tracks were recorded during a week of seclusion in a house deep in the woods of Northern Ontario with portions recorded in a cabin in the Gatineau region of Quebec. The recordings include various sample sources including goats and birds in Switzerland, a choir featuring Kuepfer's parents, and wolves from the Aspden Valley Wildlife Sanctuary near Rousseau, Ontario.




Limited to 150 physical copies (with free download).
Available here.

http://soundcloud.com/kuepfer